Category Archives:
Parenting

It’s nice when science confirms common sense. At some point in your life as a parent, I am sure you have encouraged an agitated, anxious, or angry child to “take a deep breath.” (I detailed one such moment in the post “Take a Deep Breath and Try Again”). Deep breathing helps us calm down. We know that intuitively and experientially.

Recently, middle school parents have had the opportunity to attend two forums related to teens’ digital safety and online behavior: a visit from the district attorney and a screening of Screenagers. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of technology and how it lets us connect, collaborate, and create. The last thing I would want is for parents and

At some point during your child’s middle school years, you reach a tremendous milestone: You become the parents of a teenager. It’s a watershed moment that sometimes earns you sympathy and advice from other parents who have “been-there-done-that” – and comments such as “Hang on tight! You are in for a wild ride!” It’s no secret that teenagers deal with

“But I don’t want to go to bed!” That’s my three-year-old’s nightly mantra. It turns out that toddlers and middle school students have a lot in common: the desire for independence, incredible physical and cognitive growth spurts . . . and bodies and brains that need a lot of sleep, even when they don’t want it. Often, middle schoolers think

Next Wednesday, January 11, the TVS Parents’ Club will host a special screening of “Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age.” This widely-heralded documentary “probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including the director’s own, and depicts messy struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through surprising insights from authors and brain scientists, solutions emerge on how we

Middle school is a marvelous, messy, magical time. Students enter fifth grade as children and they leave eighth grade as confident young adults. And during this period of profound growth, they spend a lot of time exploring who they are and who they want to become. Part of our job as middle school educators is to help them see possibilities

The day before my daughter started PreK this year, she announced that she was “so excited and so nervous.” These two emotions may seem contradictory, but in fact our bodies register excitement and anxiety the same way: with an increased heart rate and a surge of cortisol. It’s our minds that perceive these emotions differently. Anxiety fills our minds with